[FORA TALOSSA] News Alert for 2 December 2022

[Miestră Schivă, UrN]

All I can say is that I'm about 500% happier to defend the 57th Cosă government's record than the 56th Cosă. For example, we spent ages talking about the immigration crisis, and the good Baron spent so much bandwidth talking about how this was because of (unspecified) FreeDem failures. Now, given the massive tidal wave of immigration (17 new prospectives in the past week or two!), if he were politically honest, he'd be congratulating us.

But - just as the problems in the past weren't all due to FreeDem fecklessness or wickedness - our current rosy success isn't all to our credit. If I were the Minister of STUFF, I'd be peeved that el Partì dal Reformaziun isn't getting respect. The FreeDems have never had a majority government (got very close once) and have only led five governments, though we've participated in eight. Recent Talossan political history has had a much wider variety of characters and political tendencies through the Government than in the previous era of nine consecutive majority governments.

"Time for a change" is a powerful argument. All I argue is that "change" to a rat-tag group of forces whose common denominator seems to be personal resentment of one or two FreeDem members won't be an improvement. The TNC made the fatal error last time that anyone not in the FreeDems would despise the FreeDems as much as they did - and were blindsided when the current coalition was formed. I predict that - even if they are once again the biggest party, even if they do better than last time - they won't form Government unless they have a platform more positive than being the "No Miestrăs Club".

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

he'd be congratulating us.

In that song, Maui is an egomaniac working hard to distract someone so he can scam them.  I'm not sure that's the comparison you want.  I am very familiar with the song; Moana is my favorite Disney movie and one of the favorite movies of my daughters.  Do your kids like it, too?

have only led five governments, though we've participated in eight

Amazing fact: you personally have been in the Government for 99 months out of the last 108 months.  Since 2014, you have been in the Cabinet or serving as Seneschal for an astonishing 92% of the time.  That's most of eight years!  Isn't that amazing?

"Time for a change" is a powerful argument. All I argue is that "change" to a rat-tag group of forces

This is a really fun image -- I like the idea that we're a rag-tag band of scrappy underdogs going up against the entrenched power, like the browncoats in Firefly.  I hope that there's another new party that joins our coalition so we can get kind of a Rebel Alliance vibe going.

[Miestră Schivă, UrN]

You know, I have not yet decided if I personally will be part of Cabinet next time (even if offered a job), or even if I'll take Cosa seats. If the TNC are planning on "get Miestră out of Government" as a selling point, they might be pushing at an open door.

I understand that I offer a much easier target than the incumbent and highly competent Seneschál, who has been out of Government as often as he's been in it - which may be another factor encouraging me to step aside. All I can say that I'll be supporting the FreeDem campaign led by him and Party President Somelieir, no matter if there's any post-election role for me.

If you want to talk Disney movies, let's do so elsewhere.

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

You know, I have not yet decided if I personally will be part of Cabinet next time (even if offered a job), or even if I'll take Cosa seats. If the TNC are planning on "get Miestră out of Government" as a selling point, they might be pushing at an open door.

Your last retirement speech was almost two years ago, but I guess anything is possible.

Side note: now you have me looking at TV Tropes (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RagtagBunchOfMisfits), so when I get sucked in again to a two-hour wiki-walk, I'm blaming you.  Trying to win this election might be hard, but it's just Crazy Enough to Work.  We've had our Misfit Mobilization Moment, and we're going to do our best.  Gambatte!

[Miestră Schivă, UrN]

Well, of course, I had something in mind more like this

[GV]

Guess it's full circle for "Mad Max" Carbonel

I'm not sure that you're being respectful or kind to Mximo with the name-calling, here.  Earlier in this term, we all pledged to try raising the level of political discourse by improving how we treat each other -- let's try to stick to that even as election season approaches, if we can.

Mximo's history of party-jumping and bandwagoning in Talossa is legendary, as his command of the English language.